Namesake
by mysticalflute
Summary: Snow takes young Neal to the Storybrooke cemetery to meet his namesake. Rated for language.


"Do you know where we're going today, Neal?" Snow asked, looking at her son with a sad smile as they walked down the Storybrooke streets, familiar faces passing them by.

"Cem-tary," the three year old replied with a solemn look on his face. He knew what day it was. She and Charming had spoken to him about it in the days leading up it. Emma and Henry always got quiet in the days leading up to the anniversary of Neal Cassidy's death, and Neal was now old enough to realize that something wasn't right with his sister and nephew, so Snow and Charming has realized, because he was now in the common 'why?' phase, that Neal deserved to know the truth of his namesake.

Not that they had been keeping it from him before – not at all. Snow had taken Neal to the cemetery to visit Neal's grave every Saturday. Now though, she was glad he was getting old enough to appreciate it.

"That's right sweetheart. The cemetery," Snow said with a small sigh. She hated that they had to come here at all. Neal Cassidy should have been alive and well, enjoying seeing Henry grow up, meeting his little sister, spending time with his father after so many years apart.

He shouldn't be dead.

"Why the cem-tary?" Neal asked as they walked along the rows of those that had passed.

"Because we have to go visit Henry's father today," Snow replied. "He's the one your daddy and I named you after. Neal Cassidy."

"What happened, Mommy?"

It was the first time he'd actually been able to ask that on his own, and the question was still as raw as it was when Neal Cassidy first died.

"A very bad woman did a very bad thing… and Neal paid the price for it, sweetheart. You know how Mr. Gold always says magic comes with a price?"

Neal nodded wisely as they stopped in front of the grave.

"He paid the price for some very dark magic. But he did it to protect all of us from the very bad woman," Snow said, kneeling in front of the headstone and pulling her son in her lap. "If he hadn't… she would have taken you away from us."

She almost had, even with Neal's sacrifice.

"Nuh-uh," Neal said, shaking his head. "I find you. Like daddy always says."

Snow laughed quietly, the sound echoing through the empty cemetery. "Perhaps, sweetheart. Oh… you would have liked Neal very much. He and daddy helped teach Henry how to sword fight, and he really liked ice cream. But the most important thing about him is that he made your sister and Henry very, very happy."

Her Neal beamed up at her. "Ice cream!"

Another chuckle escaped her. Sometimes, Snow wondered if Neal Cassidy's spirit was re-incarnated into her son.

"And he helped Emma and Henry get Mr. Gold back here to get healed when he was hurt by a bad man and woman."

Neal smiled up at her. "He good."

"That's right Neal. He was very good," Snow said, smoothing his hair down. "And what happened to him was not fair."

"Bad lady."

"That's right."

"Where bad lady now?"

Snow exhaled shakily. "She's gone. Mr. Gold made sure she can't hurt anyone else."

He didn't have to know that the way Gold had done that was by killing Zelena. That was a story for when he was older.

"Good," Neal said, pulling himself from her arms and standing in front of the headstone. He placed his small hands on it and smiled. "Hi Neal. I'm Neal too. Mommy says you made my sissy and Henry happy. I'm glad."

Snow watched him, and smiled softly. After everything she had been through in her life, death should have been something that Snow was immune to. But she wasn't. Death always hit her hard – especially when those deaths were horrific and unfair.

Especially Neal's.

Snow had imagined that, perhaps, after everything had calmed down, that Neal and Emma would have been able to reconcile. After all, Belle had told her about the keychain, which had survived the trip back to the Enchanted Forest, when nothing else from the Land Without Magic – not even the book – had. Snow had known that was a sign.

But it never happened, and now Neal was dead.

Oh of course, Snow had been angry to find out what Neal had done to Emma and to Henry (even if he wasn't aware he'd done anything to Henry), but after talking to him in the Enchanted Forest…

 _"Neal," she asked as they set up camp their first night back in the Enchanted Forest. "Can we talk?"_

 _"Oh – uh, sure Snow," the brunette said as he set down the stack of firewood he'd collected. "What about? Is everything okay?"_

 _"Yes of course. I just feel like… between Cora, Tamara and Greg and Neverland we never got the chance to get to know each other."_

 _He nods, hesitant. Snow can see guilt already building in his eyes._

 _"You know that Emma and I were roommates before the curse broke and we knew the truth about our relationship, right?"_

 _He nods again._

 _"Well… she once told me that you were no hero. Considering she gave him up for adoption, and she was freaked out when you were Rumpelstiltskin's son… I just figured it was time to get your side of the story."_

 _"You… actually want my side of the story?" Neal asked, his eyes wide._

 _"It's only fair."_

 _Neal nodded and slowly sat down on the ground. Snow joined him._

 _"I met Emma in Portland, Oregon. She… was stealing the car I was living in. That I stole first," Neal said, rubbing the back of his neck, cheeks a faint red from embarrassment. "She was… she was something, Snow. She had a hard life. She believed her parents dumped her on the side of the road and… she really believed it. She was a thief just like I was. But we worked together to help each other. Only… one day I found an old wanted poster for myself. I'd stolen some watches from a place I worked at and I wanted to sell them for money. I was living on the streets. I needed the cash. Emma had the idea to get them from the train station I'd hidden them in, since she had no connection to them." He sighed heavily as Snow listened carefully. "When I was waiting for her to come back I was confronted by August."_

 _"August?"_

 _Neal nodded. "He knew who I was. Made up some bullshit story about how leaving Emma would somehow get her to Storybrooke. He told me Emma was the Savior and that you all were in danger. So I… I'd agreed to let her go. I disconnected my phone and left Emma behind."_

 _Snow frowned. "And then you called the police and Emma ended up in jail. Pregnant."_

 _Neal's face turned confused. "I… I didn't call the police, Snow. August did. I never planned for her to end up in jail. I wanted to leave her the $20,000 I got in Canada for the watches and the bug…"_

 _Snow stared. "She never said anything about… getting cash from you."_

 _Neal paled – Snow could see the shift in color even in the low light of the fire in the center of their camp._

 _"She… she didn't get the money? Oh my God. Snow. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never should have left her."_

 _Snow saw the despair in his eyes and she moved over to him, pulling her into his arms. "I forgive you."_

"Mr. Gold!"

Her son's shout broke her from her thoughts, and Snow glanced behind her, scrambling up when she saw Rumpelstiltskin standing behind her, a bouquet of fresh flowers in his hand.

"Rumpelstiltskin," she said. "Good morning."

"Good morning Snow, Neal," he replied, a small smile cast down at her son.

"You probably want some time alone with your son," she said, taking Neal's hand. "It was good to see you."

"Oh – no, wait. You don't have to leave. Some company would be appreciated actually."

Snow tilted her head in confusion. "I would expect you to want company from Belle and Lucy, not me. Speaking of, where are they?" It was strange that Rumpelstiltskin would be at his son's grave on the day of his murder without his wife and daughter with him.

"Lucy has unfortunately come down with a cold. Belle is trying to find a sitter for her. She'll be here after," Gold explained.

She frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But Neal and I would love to stay as long as you want us to."

"Thank you," he said softly, moving over to the headstone. Snow didn't move, giving him privacy, but still there, just in case.

After a moment, Neal got bored of just standing there, slipping from her grasp and rushing over to the headstone with Mr. Gold.

"Mr. Gold! Did you know your son and me have the same name?" he asked, bouncing on his toes.

Snow couldn't hear the reply as she took a step forward to apologize, but when she saw Rumpelstiltskin place a hand on his shoulder and pull him close, she stopped.

Perhaps he needed this. Nothing would soften the blow of losing a child, Snow knew that, but perhaps being with her Neal would help ease the blow.

So Snow stood in the quiet cemetery, watching Rumpelstiltskin and Neal talking to the grave of the man that had sacrificed himself to save them all.


End file.
